The official blog of Seachd: The Inaccessible Pinnacle

03/03/2008

Young Films has secured a deal with Altadena Films, an international sales agent, to sell Gaelic feature film Seachd - The Inaccessible Pinnacle, around the world. Altadena will represent the film at the Berlin Film Festival then at markets and festivals around the world thereafter. For the international market the English title will be Seachd - The Crimson Snowdrop.

Altadena Films (previously Inframe Films) specialises in acquiring rights to exceptional independent feature films by talented directors. The company is part of Hollywood Classics, which represents the classic film libraries of MGM/UA, Universal, 20th Century Fox, Columbia Pictures, Warner Bros., Canal Plus and Carlton International, as well as a number of films from independent producers.

We’re delighted to announce that Seachd: The Inaccessible Pinnacle is now available to buy or rent on DVD. The film is currently available in Region 2 (European) format with English, Scottish Gaelic, Irish Gaelic and Welsh subtitles.

The DVD also includes:
* The original short film - “Foighidinn: The Crimson Snowdrop” - from which Seachd grew
* Director’s commentary with Simon Miller and Angus Peter Campbell
* Deleted scenes
* Interviews with cast and crew
* Footage from the Ceilidh after the premiere at the Edinburgh International Film Festival

10/08/2007

"When is a subtitled film not a foreign language film? When it’s the
first Gaelic feature to be made specifically for the cinema. And Seachd
does indeed look fantastic on the big screen – New Zealand only wishes
it looked this good in Lord Of The Rings. Visiting his dying
grandfather, Angus (Coll MacDonald) flashes back to his childhood, the
death of his parents on a mountaineering trip and the old man’s endless
store of rich, mythical folktales. These timeless stories of poisoned
lovers, magical flowers and water-horses seem to come out of the misty
landscapes of Scotland itself. As Angus makes discoveries, the film
continually surprises us with the range of its imagination and a unique
structure that owes more to our oral storytelling tradition than
Hollywood scriptwriting sessions."Daily Record (4 STARS)

Moran moran taing! Many many thanks for the overwhelming support we have received after BAFTA strangely neglected to put any non-English language British films for the Best Foreign Language Film category of the Oscars.

We have been inundated with messages of support from around the world and the debate has even made it in to the Scottish Parliament. We do not know whether it is still possible for BAFTA's decision to be overturned, but regardless we sincerely hope that BAFTA will change their system such that every British film has a chance to enter the Oscars whatever the language spoken within it.

10/01/2007

A LEADING figure in the Scottish movie industry has resigned from
the British Academy of Film and Television Arts in protest at their
refusal to nominate a highly rated Gaelic movie for Oscar glory.

Producer Chris Young's shock announcement came just hours after the
American Academy criticised Bafta for failing to submit his film Seachd
- The Inaccessible Pinnacle in the Best Foreign Language category.

"Bafta is there to support British film. Not only
are they not supporting a British film and a British film producer, but
they are actively putting obstacles in our path," said Young, whose
previous films include Venus Peter, Gregory's Two Girls and the
award-winning comedy-drama Festival.

"What actually is the benefit of being a member of Bafta? I have decided to quit."

Meanwhile, the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, the
American organisation that administers the Oscars, has contacted its
British counterpart demanding an explanation.

"I do not understand why they would refuse to submit the film," said
Sandy Lieberson, chair of the US Academy's London committee and himself
a member of Bafta and a vastly experienced producer. "I have never
known a country refuse to submit a film.

"The merit of a film's worthiness is totally subjective and the
experts are continually making grave errors of judgment about movies.
Therefore it would seem only logical for Bafta to have chosen one of
the films to represent the fact that Britain is a multi-language
country." Bafta also had a Welsh film up for consideration.

Lieberson, whose films include Performance and Jabberwocky and who
was president of production at 20th Century Fox, was also critical of
Bafta's Scottish branch and of the Scottish Government for not
intervening.

"What I don't understand is why Bafta Scotland did not take a more
proactive position on this. This is an issue not just for the producer,
but for Scotland. In the future perhaps the choice should be left to
Scotland and Wales and not Bafta in London.

"I think this is an issue that should be raised with the Department
of Sports and Culture and the minister for film. There is a Scottish
Parliament - don't they have any interest in these issues?"

The original decision was made by a six-strong Bafta sub-committee,
but it horrified some members. The full film committee of 10 top
producers and others met to review the decision last week and after a
lengthy debate could not reach agreement, so the original decision
stands.

Each country is allowed to submit one foreign-language film to the
US Academy, which whittles the submissions down to the final list of
five nominations. In the UK it is up to Bafta to decide which film to
submit.

Seachd - The Inaccessible Pinnacle has been promoted as Scotland's
first genuine Gaelic feature film, has garnered positive early reviews,
has secured a commercial release next month and was considered hot
favourite to go forward as a UK Oscar submission.

The film, shot on Skye, is a fantasy movie and has been compared to
the classic The Princess Bride. An old man (played by Gaelic poet Angus
Peter Campbell) tells his grandchildren a series of stories involving a
magic horse, a man who has lived for 1,000 years and shipwrecked
sailors.

Bafta refused to give a reason for the decision not to put forward
either Seachd or the Welsh film. But Douglas Rae, producer of Mrs Brown
and Becoming Jane and a member of the sub-committee, said they "didn't
merit being put forward".

The decision came under attack earlier this month from various
organisations and individuals, including Scottish Screen, the national
film agency, which contributed about £170,000 towards a budget of
£700,000.

Jude MacLaverty of the Gaelic Media Festival, said it was "hugely
important" for Gaelic culture. "Wales and Ireland have a huge culture
where their minority language is concerned, but Scotland needs to keep
pushing. It's a shame."

The news caused uproar, not just within Scotland, but among senior
members of Bafta, who knew nothing about it before it was reported by
Scotland on Sunday two weeks ago.

Louise Beasley, Bafta's film awards officer, said the decision was
irreversible. But Finola Dwyer, who has just recently taken over as
chair of the film committee, subsequently indicated that the
organisation might well review the controversial decision. She said:
"This is a decision that I have inherited. I've just literally stepped
into the chair of film. We totally understand the concern and I'm
dealing with it."

The film committee met in private last week and decided to stick
with the original decision. "There was a great deal of discussion, but
it was a majority decision," said Dwyer. "I am unable to add anything
more because of the Bafta code of confidentiality."

Young said: "I feel I have been treated with total disrespect, as
has the film. They've made my life hell for the past two weeks. I'm
trying to shoot a comedy at the moment and I've spent a ridiculous
amount of time trying to get a decision and get an explanation for the
decision."

Young feels Bafta in London has been entirely negative and has been
disappointed by the lack of support from Bafta in Glasgow. "Maybe
Scotland should have its own film academy," he said. "It's certainly
something I would like to talk to Alex Salmond about."

Hong Kong submits a film independently of China, but Alison Forsyth,
director of Bafta Scotland, said: "I've never dealt with the Oscars.
I'm a branch of Bafta UK."

Bafta Scotland organised a preview of Seachd for its members earlier this month.

A Scottish Government spokeswoman said: "Scottish Screen leads on
issues relating to film for the Scottish Government. We, like Scottish
Screen, are, of course, extremely disappointed that the Seachd has not
been forwarded for an Oscar nomination, particularly given the wide
critical acclaim that the film has had at its limited showings to date,
including at the Edinburgh International Film Festival.

The movie is called Seachd. No, that’s not a misprint for “searched”, but
Gaelic for seven. The first Gaelic feature film to make it to the cinema, it
comes out in Scotland on Friday, then in England, at a scattering of art
houses, later in October.

It’s excellent, a family saga directed by an Englishman, although Simon Miller
grew up in Scotland and has recently learnt Gaelic. But few in England are
likely to see it, partly because cinemas say they can’t show a film the
public can’t pronounce. Actually, Seachd is pronounced “shack”.

There will be no amusing Oscar speeches in Gaelic for Seachd, either. After
the high praise it received at the Edinburgh film festival last month, it
seemed a shoo-in as a contender in the foreign-language category. But Bafta,
which oversees these matters, has this year decided not to offer any
non-English-language British-made film, which counts out Seachd. Daft. Nor
will Bafta explain its reasoning.

09/29/2007

They found their lead actor up a tree and they held the premiere in a cinema on wheels. Kirsty Scott travels to the Western Isles to catch a little piece of film-making history

It's a blustery morning on the northern edge of the small island of Grimsay and 11-year-old Padruig Moireasdan has just settled himself into one of his favourite positions: hanging upside-down from a tree in his back garden. There are few trees in this part of the Western Isles. The land is low-lying, dwarfed by loch and sea, and flayed by wind.

But Padruig's house is next to a small copse, and he likes to take to the trees when he has important decisions to make. He swings his legs over a makeshift trapeze and lets himself fall back. "I was like this when the director and the producer came to tell me about the film," he says. "The director told me the whole story while I was up in the tree."

Film-maker Simon Miller and producer Christopher Young had been looking for a boy to play the lead in Seachd: The Inaccessible Pinnacle, the first ever contemporary Scots Gaelic feature film. They had already cast most of the other characters but needed someone to play young Angus, who is sent to live with his grandfather, an inveterate storyteller, after his parents die in a climbing accident.

Then the two men heard about this boy from Grimsay, which is connected to North Uist whenever the tide goes out. He came from a family with great storytelling traditions, was fluent in Gaelic and as nimble on the accordion as he was on the PlayStation. On the way to his home, they got lost and Padruig was dispatched on his bike to find them. He spoke to them in Gaelic, guided them to the house, then took to his tree.

"Padruig is such a find," says Miller, a genial former Wall Street banker turned writer and director. "We went to every school we could find. Then we heard about this boy. When we got there, I was sold in five seconds. He was in the tree the whole time, and we talked about the script and he challenged parts of it and said what he thought might happen. He was totally unfazed, exactly the kind of kid you need."

Miller and Young are back in the Western Isles for the first public showing of the film. It featured at Cannes in May and Edinburgh in August, and will play at film festivals in Vancouver and Rome in the next few weeks. But both wanted its British public premiere to be in the heart of the Gaelic community, before it goes on release across Scotland, with arthouse appearances in England later in the month. The Screen Machine, Britain's only mobile cinema, has parked up outside the Benbecula hotel where Miller is staying, and later that evening will expand into a 102-seat auditorium.

For Young, the film and its themes are close to home. His previous works include Venus Peter, Gregory's Two Girls and Festival, for which he won a British Comedy Award for best film, and a Bafta nomination for best British film. He relocated to Skye in the 1990s with his family and his company, Young Films.

He knew some people would think he was taking a risk in making his film in Gaelic. According to the 2001 census, only 1.2% of the population of Scotland speaks the language, some 58,600 people; and that's a 15% decline over the previous decade. Most are in the Western Isles. That said, the language is enjoying a status it has not been afforded for many years, with concerted efforts at a political level to sustain this ancient tongue, first introduced to Scotland from Ireland in the fifth century. Less than 100 years ago, children were beaten into speaking English at school. Now, Gaelic-medium education is championed. A national plan has been launched, aiming to stabilise the number of speakers over the next few years, and increase them to 100,000 by 2041. There has been an increase in funding for education, media and development, and moves to create the first dedicated Gaelic TV channel.

"For me, the question is not why make a film in Gaelic but why not make a film in Gaelic?" says Young, who is self-taught in the tongue and whose children are fluent. "It seemed strange that a culture so full of storytelling didn't particularly have a tradition of cinema. I have never been to a cinema to see a film in Gaelic. There is plenty of Gaelic drama but it does seem to have suffered from stereotype. It tends to have been period works. There is a feeling that Gaelic is old-fashioned. I wanted to tackle that head-on."

"Film is the kind of thing that, if you get it right, it does not matter what language it is in," says Miller. "Mel Gibson has proved that more than anyone in recent years. You don't have to know the language to experience the film." For both men, authenticity was the key. So they collaborated with Gaelic writers, co-directors and a local Gaelic amateur crew and actors. The soundtrack features noted Gaelic musicians, and the whole thing was shot on the island of Skye for £650,000.

Subtitled and set in the present day, it centres on the relationship between Angus, played by Padruig, and his grandfather, played by the renowned Gaelic poet and writer Angus Peter Campbell. The old man uses storytelling to try to connect with his grandson, allowing flashbacks to different periods of Gaelic history. Seachd translates literally as "seven", and stems from the number of stories that were originally to have been told by the grandfather. It was given the alternative English title The Inaccessible Pinnacle, the name of one of the most treacherous peaks in the Cuillin mountains that dominate Skye and provide a magnificent backdrop for some of the film's most dramatic scenes.

It is worth pointing out that there was actually a previous Gaelic feature film. But few people took Hero - a fifth-century medieval epic, made 25 years ago - seriously. Time Out called it "a clumping village pageant".

Seachd has been warmly reviewed. Comparisons have been drawn with works such as Big Fish, even The Princess Bride. There has been particular praise for young Padruig, who gives a compelling performance as a bereaved youngster struggling to come to terms with unfathomable loss.

For Gaels like Ishbel Maclennan, the film's great merit lies in its celebration of Gaelic as a living language and its depiction of young people and their connection to the language. Maclennan, commissioning editor of BBC Alba, one of the co-funders of the film, has been heartened by the response, among Gaelic and non-Gaelic speakers alike: "It is very difficult to overestimate its importance. Gaels are surprised by it - the sense that it is culturally rooted yet contemporary. It's not TV on the big screen. What they are seeing is filmic. People are responding to a film. They are not just saying, 'This is Gaelic so I should like it.'"

Padruig has been nervous about how the film will play to his friends and fellow islanders. "It's always harder with the home crowd," he says, just before attending the Benbecula screening. But there is instinctive applause when the credits roll and lots of backslapping at the ceilidh afterwards.

Padruig himself had just one problem with the film. At one point, the script required him to turn to his grandfather and shout angrily in English: "I hate Gaelic!" He didn't think he could do that, and had to be persuaded by Young. So he said it, but didn't mean it. In fact he hopes the film might lead to more, and help sustain the language that he loves. "It is quite important," he says, "because it needs to keep alive".

· Seachd: The Inaccessible Pinnacle is now showing in the Highlands and Islands, will open in the rest of Scotland on October 5, and nationwide in November.

Initially I decided that I should see this film because there was a gap in my schedule and the film was the first Gaelic feature with high production values, and since I was born a Highlander, I couldn't not.

It's often these gap fillers and "almost didn't see" films that can turn out to be surprises of the festival, and this year was no exception. Seachd is a superb film filled with tons of passion and pride, and it is almost entirely in Gaelic.

Now you may not know that Gaelic was not the majority language of the Scottish people. Head for head it was Doric, but since Gaelic is the more romantic sounding and further removed from English, it seems to be the one enjoying all the focus.

I'm not complaining as I love anything that brings a sense of pride and belonging to being Scottish, and in the context of Seachd it hardly seems to matter as hearing the language on screen soon becomes like watching any other foreign language film, just closer to home.

Seachd is the story of a Highland boy and his strained relationship with his Grandfather. When he was younger a series of events starting with the death of his parents atop the Isle of Skye mountains, saw them grow apart and his boyhood idolisation of his Grandfather turn to feelings of betrayal and bitterness.

These feelings have stayed with both of them and as he has grown to adulthood he moved to the City and began a career, breaking contact with him.

Now the film opens at his bedside, he is obviously very ill, perhaps dying, and his Grandson sits, fulfilling his obligation.

However as they sit their memories return to the past and revisit the events that created the gulf between them, we start to understand them and they way they feel about each other.

If you've seen Tim Burton's Big Fish then you'll have an idea of the way this story is going, although here there’s nothing so fanciful. This is more down to earth and builds more on the relationships of the characters who are well developed from the script to the screen.

The relationship is still based on a series of tales that the adult tells the boy, but the Grandfather here tells more fables of Scottish folklore than of his own fantastical stories, and we see them play out on screen. That’s not where the similarities end either; the emotional impact of both films is very similar, although Big Fish hit me harder.

The relationship between the boy and the Grandfather is very well built through the fables that he tells. These stories make up a large part of the film but never detract from the heart which remains the relationship between the Grandfather and the boy and how the feelings from the death of his parents build up this resentment within him.

The stories are well created and entertaining, not just distractions or vehicles to bring across some point in the film, and serve as short stories on their own. For the most part they are serious and convey some point that the Grandfather is trying to make to the children, often with a hint of Scottish history added in, for instance the tale of the Highland clearances. One story though changes the tone of the film, and when it first begins it feels out of place.

The Grandfather tells a tale about a Scotsman stranded on an island alone who one day is joined by a shipwrecked Spaniard. With him he brings a feast of potatoes and black pudding, and the story leads to a few hilarious jibes against the Scottish way of life, one of the only places where clichés are used. I loved the chip shop moment.

It is something refreshing as well, a Scottish film about Scotland that doesn’t have clichés of perceived Scottish life throughout. It could be said that the film goes too far out of its way to avoid these clichés when we see the ceilidh scene, a ceilidh with no tartan in sight.

Still I think this is one of the films strengths, because it concentrates on great characters and relationships, it just happens to be in Gaelic and filled with some of the most stunning scenery you can imagine.

It is beautifully filmed, filled with amazing scenery and backdrops that reminded me why I love the country I was born and live in so much. It is a gorgeous country that looks amazing on film and was captured wonderfully and seamlessly woven into the story as a character itself.

Overall the film had two turning points, and at both times I felt a slight surprise at the change of direction which I hadn’t expected. It turns from being the film I expected to something a little more, and a little different, and both changes were strong story choices.

The script is very good, with the actors who play the Grandfather and boy providing great performances. In fact the whole cast is good, and when you start out expecting a cast of Gaelic speaking Scottish actors to be made from a small slice of Scottish television actors, you end up surprised.

For a start I didn’t recognise any from Scottish television, and none of them give a television performance. Their delivery and emotion is natural and strong, and they all feel like real feature actors. I was impressed, particularly by Aonghas Padruig Caimbeul, who played the Grandfather, and Padruig Moireasdan who played young Aonhgas.

There was one moment where I thought all could be lost. As the boy is driving back to Glasgow he sees characters from the tales his Grandfather had told him, as vividly as we had seen them on film, in the woods and fields to his side.

To me this felt like some internal moment of recognition or realisation, except it was shown too vividly, too plainly in view, and altogether too real. With the subtle handling of some of the questions regarding the reality of these tales and of his Grandfather, it felt like this moment was too real, and was like a sledgehammer slamming home a moment to the audience.

However the film recovers quickly from this and returns back to the relationship between the Grandfather and the boy and the past concerning the death of the parents.

The ending, and in fact the final sequences leading up to the ending, are very good without anything too predictable or twee. Once again it avoids clichés and expected endings and keeps in focus the main plot and the characters.

The film is moving and really made me proud to be a Highlander and Scottish, living in this gorgeous country. It is a wonderful, warm and personal story with some superb performances and I hope there are many more of these films to come from Scotland.

However make no mistake, this isn't one of these films that's for Scottish people only, much like The Flying Scotsman (Filmstalker review) this is a world contending feature film, and in the case of Seachd it's a superb foreign film, not just for Scottish consumption.

Cò às a tha thu, càil thu a' fuireach 's ciamar a
thàinig thu gu bhith nad chleasaiche ann an Seachd? Where are you from, where do you live and how did you become an actor in Seachd?

[APC] Rugadh is thogadh mi ann an UIbhist-a-Deas, a bha làn de dheagh dhaoine agus tràighean àlainn. Tha mi nise a' fuireach san Eilean Sgitheanach,làn de dheagh dhaoine eile agus beanntan àlainn! Thug an Stiùiriche, Sìm Miller, agus an Rochdaire, Chris Young, cuireadh dhomh feuchainn air: chriochnaich mi mar sheanair aois 700 anns am film! I was born and brought up on the Island of South Uist - great people and great beaches! I know live on the Island of Skye - great people and great mountains! I became an actor in Seachd when the Director, Simon Miller, came to my back door and asked me to come for an audition. I was persuaded by my friend Chris Young, the Producer who lives locally, and so ended up growing my own beard and taking one of the two lead-roles!

[APC] Ann an sgrìobhadh tha thu a' cruthachadh saoghal tro do mhac-mheanmna fhèin. Ann an cleasachd tha saoghal air a thoirt dhut son a' chruthachadh às ùr na do mhac-meanmna. In writing, you tend to create a multi-layered world on your own. In acting you do the reverse: take a multi-layered world and make it yourown.

An do rinn thu gin dhe na loidhneachan suas?Did you help with any of the lines?

[APC] Bhruidhinn mi cho nàdarra sa b' urrainn dhomh - mar sin nochd grunn rudan nach robh san scriopt idir an toiseach.Hopefully each line became my own through interpretation, diction, accent and voice. Some I invented, or at least emerged naturally in terms of what my character, The Grandfather, would actually say. Dè an sgeulachd aig Seanair as fheàrr leat? Which story told by Grandfather is your favourite?

[APC] Sgeulachd a' ghràidh, far a bheil Seanair diùltadh leigeil leis an ogha, Aonghas Òg, gach nì a thrèigsinn. The 'untold' one: the story of the Prodigal Son, where Grandfather refuses to let his grandson lose the most precious things.

An do rinn thu fhèin gach cleas ann an Seachd? Did you do all your stunts for Seachd?

Co as a tha thu? caite bheil thu fuireach? de an aois a tha thu agus ciamar a fhuair thu bhi na d’chleasaiche? Where are you from? where do you live? how old are you and how did you become an actor in Seachd?

[Pàdruig] Tha mi a Griomsaidh, Uibhist a Tuath, tha mi fuireach ann an Griomsaidh, tha mi deich agus fhuair mi bhi nam cleasaiche ann an Seachd an deidh dhomh a bhi air m’fhaicinn air program telebhiseon comhla ri caraidean dhomh, agus an uair sin chaidh mi gu na ‘auditions’ airson a phairt aig Aonghas anns a fhilm. I’m from Grimsay, North Uist, I live in Grimsay, I am ten ( 11 on the tenth of July) and I became an actor in Seachd after being seen in a Gaelic TV program with some of my class friends and I was then auditioned for the main part of Angus in the film.An do cleas thu riamh agus an deanamh tu e a rithist? Have you ever acted before and would you do it again?

[Pàdruig] Chan eil mi air cleasadh ron a seo ach dheanain cleasadh a rithist. Bi mise a deanamh drama Gaidhlig aig Fèis tir a Mhurain on bha mi coig bliadhna de dhaois. I haven’t ever acted before but I’d definitely act again. I have been doing Gaelic drama at the ‘Feis’ summer school since I was 5 years of age.

An robh an t-eagal ort nuair a dh’fhaighnich iad dhuit an streap thu Sgùrr Dearg agus de bha e coltach ris? Were you scared when you were asked to climb Sgurr Dearg for the film and what was it like?

[Pàdruig] Rud beag aig an toiseach, ach bha e neonach a bhith cho ard ach le na casan air a talamh. A tiny bit at first but it was strange being so high with my feet on the ground.

Bheil thu nad rionnag sa bhaile agad fhein? Are you now a star in your home town?

[Ian] I am from East Boldon near Sunderland in the North East of England. My first degree is in Mathematics and it took a while to find my way into a more artistic world. After several meanders I ended up at the Royal College of Art studying film. I managed to direct a few short films and do camera for many more. Since then I have enjoyed both documentary and drama camerawork with each informing and advancing the other.

How did you approach the cinematography of Seachd?

[Ian] Through discussions with Simon, finding films we both liked visually. We wanted to find seperate looks for each story and a different look for the present day. We found a visual 'theory' for each section ( for example a deep red and black colour scheme for the Akira Gunn story, long lenses for the water horse story and very wide lenses for the 'Spaniard and the Gael'). The looks had to be able to implement quickly (then aided in the grading) because of the very tight schedule. We then applied the visual theory to a shotlist ( which we often had to do this the night before due to locations changing or not being found yet)

What was it like working with HD for the first time?

[Ian] With a 35mm camera you are looking directly through a beautiful lens and seeing the scene in colour and can trust your eyes as part of the photographic process. With an HD camera you are looking at a tiny black and white image through the viewfinder so you need a large (ideally 24") HD monitor to properly judge what you are filming. This is huge and totally impractical with such a small crew and low budget so we managed with a 14" monitor a fair amount of the time but up a mountain or on a remote beach only a small battery monitor is possible. This was very frustrating and led to some things that could have been better.

HD is horrible looking if any area is overexposed. This proved most problematic in the 'Spaniard and the Gael' story which we chose to shoot on very wide lenses meaning there was a lot of sky in the shot. Unfortunately the skies were particularly flat and overcast but relatively bright white.

The biggest advantage to HD was being able to travel a lot lighter with a couple of zooms up the mountain for instance and being able to film 2 hours worth of material with no worries ( which would have been roughly 12 huge cans of 1000 feet of film to carry and load). It also meant Simon and I could go off at weekends and film landscape shots and pickups very easily.

Does storytelling matter?

[Ian] Storytelling is a huge part of life from an early age. Its a way of finding meaning in the world. For a child it’s a way of understanding the world through metaphor – not that a child thinks of it in that way.

If the world blew up and the few stragglers met up it wouldn’t be long before they gathered around a fire and someone started telling tales to make sense of things. Stories entertain, provide an escape or catharsis, stimulate thought and debate and make you laugh.

What was the best thing about making Seachd?

[Ian] The best thing was being up in such a beautiful part of the world working on a script that used the landscape as part of the story.

Climbing the mountain twice then filming was a great challenge for a mostly unfit chubbster - the first time was hellish with snow on the ground, gale force winds nearly blowing the tripod over and heavy cloud cover blocking the view. Luckily the clouds parted for a while and the views , light and skies were the most dramatic I've ever seen. I was so tired climbing back down that I wanted to crawl to be honest but pride kept me stumbling along. The second time was very different, beautiful weather and getting up and down was so much less exhausting. The only problem this time was a queue of folk waiting to climb the pinnacle (even though we set off at 3 in the morning).

A buttock clenching moment (apart from forgetting the base plate for the tripod!) was Simon pointing out that the rock I was resting myself and the camera on (to get the very wide shot of Angus at the base of the pinnacle) was the kind that crumbles away sending me with it. A vivid very long couple of minutes followed but it was the only place to get such a wide shot.

The two climbs were radically different and I'll never forget them.

What was the worst thing?

[Ian] The first day of the horse race on the beach. The horses took so long to get onto the beach that we on the camera crew were reduced to making beards out of moss and a feature length documentary on clouds (some very fine clouds though). When finally the horses lined up and the starters gun went off they promptly scattered in different directions. Then the Start/Finish banner blew down and the apocalyptic weather began.

Can you tell us a couple of interesting/little known/behind the scenes things about the making of Seachd?

[Ian] Simon is certainly one of the hardest working directors I’ve worked with but I think I found his limit one Saturday night. We were filming landscape and pick-up shots in evening light and had a choice to go to the E.I. (Eilean Iarmain: the great local pub) where some of the crew were tucking into lamb shank and downing some fine beer or head off into the twilight. The light looked too tempting though so we headed off towards Elgol and thank goodness we did because the light over the Cuillins was astonishing. Deep red light was bouncing off them making them glow against the black sky. There were so many midges we had to set the camera running and run around to draw them away from clustering around the camera. We shot for ages and the light was low but still great approaching midnight. I tried to get one last shot with long grass in the foreground when Simon suggested we had enough and should go, words I never thought he’d say ! (The shot was a nice one and made the final film).

Have you worked on anything since Seachd?

[Ian] Since Seachd I’ve filmed the film backgrounds to an Opera set on St.Kilda. It was a great experience to film in such a remote and interesting place. I've filmed a half hour comedy for Channel 4 : 'The Smallest Game in Town' and I’ve also filmed and edited a half hour documentary in Iran about a cleaning lady who works in Tehran. I have recently been DoP on a low budget feature about asylum seekers in Edinburgh called ‘Trouble Sleeping'.

09/17/2007

Following Seachd's release across the Gàidhealtachd at the end of September, the very first dates for mainland Scotland have been announced for Glasgow, Edinburgh, Falkirk, Dundee and Aberdeen. More are expected to follow, but I thought it was worth announcing these dates as soon as possible.

Seachd will open on the week commencing 5th October at the following cinemas:

Following Seachd's World Premiere at the 61st Edinburgh International Film Festival in August, the film has been invited to the Vancouver Film Festival (Sept 27th - Oct 12th) where it will have its North American premiere. Seachd will then premiere in Europe at the Rome International Film Festival (Oct 18th - 27th) where the film will compete in the Alice nella città (Alice in the City) children's section.

In the UK Seachd will mark an unique and defining moment in Scottish cinema, by giving the RBS Screen Machine the exclusive first run of the film in the Outer Hebrides from 15th September ahead of opening in the Highland and Islands on the 28th September. The film goes on commercial release in the central belt from the 5th October and in London and England from the 19th October.

Kicking off a series of special events ahead of the film’s release is a gala presentation of Seachd at the Faclan Book Festival (Wednesday 29th August). Angus Peter Campbell will be talking about the film to Mairead Martin from Soda Pictures. Further events to celebrate this exceptional release include; Creagorry Q&A with Padruig Morrison, Chris Young and Simon Miller; BBC Film Festival workshop discussing the making of the film; screening and presentation at the CCA in Glasgow; BAFTA screening. It is hoped that the film will screen in Fort William for the duration of the Mod.

Marking a unique and defining moment in Scottish cinema, the RBS Screen Machine will have an exclusive first run of the film in the Outer Hebrides from 15th September ahead of opening in the Highland and Islands on the 28th September. The film goes on commercial release in the central belt from the 5th October and in London and England from the 19th October.

Seachd will open across the Gàidhealtachd from the middle of September in a ground-breaking move by the film’s distributor, Soda Pictures. Producer Chris Young said, ‘I am thrilled that the film will be seen first by those communities where Gaelic is a living, dynamic and vibrant language.’

Marking a unique and defining moment in Scottish cinema, the RBS Screen Machine (a mobile cinema that brings films to the remote parts of the Highlands and Isles) will have an exclusive first run of the film in the Outer Hebrides from 15th September ahead of opening in the Highland and Islands on the 28th September. The film goes on commercial release in the central belt from the 5th October and in London and England from the 19th October.

09/16/2007

EVER wondered what an overwrought Oscar winner's speech would sound like in Gaelic? Well, you'll have to wonder a lot longer.

Gaelic feature film The Inaccessible Pinnacle has been robbed of potential Academy Award glory after London-based film experts took the controversial decision that it was not even worth nominating for a foreign language Oscar.

The move has outraged many in the Scottish movie industry, who were convinced Seachd - its Gaelic title - was a shoo-in as the UK's official candidate for the prestigious title.

Seachd created a buzz at early screenings, was compared to the Ewan McGregor fantasy film Big Fish, and will open in British multiplexes next month alongside the latest Hollywood blockbusters.

But it seems the British Academy of Film and Television Arts (Bafta) failed to read the script. A Bafta subcommittee responsible for putting forward UK films to be considered for Oscar nomination decided against including The Inaccessible Pinnacle.

Bafta film awards officer Louise Beasley told Scotland on Sunday that a Welsh language film had also been up for consideration but: "The jury has decided not to put any films forward."

She added: "I'm afraid I'm not at liberty to discuss the contents of the jury's discussion because it's confidential."

Seachd producer Christopher Young, whose credits also include Venus Peter, Gregory's Two Girls and Festival, said: "I'm gobsmacked. I just assumed that there was a better film in their opinion. I'm gobsmacked that they just said 'Oh no, we don't like your film and we're not putting anything forward.' I think that's a bit weird."

The national film agency Scottish Screen, which put £170,000 of taxpayers' cash towards the movie's £700,000 budget, also criticised Bafta. Chief executive Ken Hay, said: "Seachd is an excellent film which deserves to reach the widest possible audience.

"We have supported the film through its development and production, and we are obviously disappointed and puzzled that it won't have a chance to compete for an Oscar."

And Margaret Cameron, business manager at the Gaelic Media Service, which put in £400,000, said: "We think the film has delivered and it also tried some innovative things by bringing along new Gaelic talent in the writing and directing areas.

"It's short-sighted of Bafta not to make any nomination, whether it was the Welsh or Gaelic film. I think it's bad news for minority languages when they make decisions like that."

In the film, which was shot on Skye, an old man - played by Gaelic poet and novelist Angus Peter Campbell - tells his grandchildren a series of far-fetched stories involving a magic horse, a man who has lived for 1,000 years and a couple of ship-wrecked sailors - one from the Spanish Armada and a Scot called MacDonald, who may or may not have a lasting impact on fast food.

Each film-making country is allowed to submit one foreign-language film to the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, which considers the national submissions and whittles them down to the final list of five nominations.

An Oscar nomination would have been a tremendous boost, not just for Seachd, but also the Scottish and the British film industries, with free worldwide publicity.

Without explanation or justification, a committee of six unnamed individuals in London decided not to exercise the British right to be part of that.

Reviewers raved about the movie on its release. James Rice, one of the programmers for the Edinburgh Film Festival, praised its vision and landscape photography and wrote: "Seachd is a literate, captivating success. Just the thing for anyone who loves a good story."

The English novelist Jonathan Coe enthused about it after seeing it at the festival. "This film glows with warmth and humanity," he wrote.

Bafta has a long history of controversy and outright gaffes when it comes to awards. Prime Suspect won the 1992 Bafta award for best drama serial in a secret jury vote. But four of the seven jurors then publicly declared that they had voted for GBH. It was dubbed "Baftagate".

A few years ago Bafta issued voters with lists of potential candidates for its acting awards, but missed some out and got the sex wrong for others.

A £650,000 Scottish film conceived, produced and set on the Isle of Skye has
been tipped for an Oscar – for Best Foreign Language Feature.

Seachd: The Inaccessible Pinnacle is the first full-length Gaelic feature film
and has its world premiere at the Edinburgh International Film Festival.

Hannah McGill, the festival’s artistic director, said: “ Seachd combines
myth-making and fantasy with a real sense of grit and pragmatism. That’s
very Scottish to me – the wildest flights of fancy presented in a sort of
down-to-earth, straight-faced manner.

“It’s pretty amazing that there’s never been a Scottish Gaelic film before,
but it’s great that the first one is creating such buzz.”

Seachd is a rights-of-passage movie that unfolds through Gaelic mythology. At
its heart is the relationship between the nine-year-old Angus, played by
Patrick Morrison, and his storytelling grandfather, Angus Peter Campbell,
who cares for the child after his parents are killed on a remote and rocky
peak.

The film’s producer, Christopher Young, has learnt Gaelic since he moved to
the Inner Hebridean island in 1999. He said: “In the islands, language is
the passport to almost a hidden world.”

The first feature film in Gaelic to receive mainstream distribution,
Seachd premiered at the 61st Edinburgh International Film Festival.
It's fair to warn you of that right away, because that fact is at once
one of its greatest strengths, and, unfortunately, its biggest weakness.

Aonghos, a young professional in Glasgow, visits his Grandfather in
hospital, and remembers. This isn't the beginning of the story.

Seachd starts with an accident on a mountain, an incident that kills
the parents of young Aonghas, admirably portrayed as a child in two
tongues by Padruig Moireasdan. He, and his two siblings, go to live
with his grandfather, another Aonghas, and his aging Grandmother.

The film moves in time, and widely among the highlands and islands
of Scotland, as the younger Aonghas recalls his childhood and his
grandfather's stories. There are many of them, of a various nature, all
with important lessons for the children.

Seachd could be called magical realist, in that there are magics,
and it has the gritty feel of kitchen sink drama. After all, these are
orphans, raised by their grandparents, and even on an island like Skye
the fact that they are raised in Gaelic separates them from others.
Aonghas is an angry young man, and even as an adult Coll Domhnallach's
performance has a sullen, brooding intensity.

Despite the involvement of BBC Alba, Seachd lacks the feel of
tokenism that benights most Gaelic television. This is a crisply
professional production, beautifully shot. The landscapes of Scotland
are breathtakingly presented, and across Aonghas the elder's stories
there's a wide variety of tones. There's a lucky Spaniard, in a
delightfully comic turn from Vidal Sancho, a harsh tale of the Highland
Clearances with both kinds of magicians, and others. These are stories
that bear repeating, but you deserve to hear them for the first time
from a master storyteller.

Aonghas Padruig Caimbeul is that storyteller, and his presence fills
the screen with a warmth and sincerity that needs no translation.
Despite being in Gaelic and English, and Spanish, and with some Scots
in as well, Seachd is crisply subtitled.

It's an astonishing production. The score is a little heavy handed,
but one can forgive it when the cinematography is so lush. This is a
gorgeous exercise in filmmaking, with subtle shifts in tone as it moves
from genre to genre with Aonghas' stories. It's not perfect, with a
handful of anachronisms appearing in the childhood of the younger
Aonghas, but if one treats them as the haziness that results from young
memory they can be readily overlooked.

Harder to avoid is the fact that it's in Gaelic. This is a brilliant
film, but for many the language barrier is going to be insurmountable.
Many have noted this film's similarity to Tim Burton's Big Fish, but while Seachd treads similar ground it does so with a touch that is in many ways lighter.

To avoid this film because it is subtitled is to miss out on an opportunity to witness some amazing talent at work.

This week sees the world premiere of SEACHD: THE INACCESSIBLE PINNACLE at the 2007 Edinburgh International Film Festival. SEACHD is a feature length film entirely in Scottish Gaelic.

For many Americans, Scotland is a mystery. When I first re-located from Texas to Scotland, it certainly was for me, but I’ve been surprised at some of the questions I’ve received when I return to the States. “Do they speak English there?” and “Where is it?” are two of the most common and entertaining. The answers are respectively “yes” and “the entire northern part of Great Britain”. And no, they don’t wear kilts every day.

Though English is undoubtedly the language of Scotland, up in the far reaches of the Highlands and Islands are concentrations of those that natively speak Scottish Gaelic. It is a language that is slowly returning — though it will probably never reach the level of Welsh or Irish. As a result, it may have been a novel but not impossible undertaking when the team behind SEACHD set out to make a feature length Scottish Gaelic film — perhaps similar to shooting in Aramaic or Yucatec Maya.

The film is firmly rooted in the Scottish past, with old Scottish stories and legends brought to life via a series of flashbacks/vignettes told by a kindly grandfather. All of this is set in the context of a young boy, Angus, coming to terms with death and his roots. The Highlands and Islands backdrop makes for a visually compelling film, and Pàdruig Moireasdan as the young Aonghas/Angus and Aonghas Pàdraig Caimbeul as the storytelling grandfather both give the roles the requisite depth.

The pacing of the film was a bit off — at times it was a bit difficult to sort out the interplay between the fantasy world of the Gaelic stories and the modern day drama. I also felt like there were some moments firmly aimed at Scots which I simply didn’t get. Neither of these issues ruin the film — it is strong — but they are present nevertheless.

SEACHD easily could have been rather heavy-handed about ideas of Scottish nationalism and independence, especially given the subject matter (and language). For those outside of Scotland, this year has seen the election of a majority party in the Scottish Parliament with the platform of an independent Scotland (independent from the rest of the United Kingdom). Though there is the obligatory nods to oppression by English landowners, these form the backdrop to the stories rather than clubbing viewers with the image of a William Wallace bludgeoning the English.

SEACHD: THE INACCESSIBLE PINNACLE joins several other Scottish films at EIFF 2007. It screens on Thursday, 16 August 2007 at 19:30 and on Sunday, 19 August 2007 at 15:15.